WASHINGTON, D.C. – Heartbreak City is probably the best way to describe the latest outing for Daemen men's soccer Saturday afternoon.
Despite an eight-save effort from senior goaltender
Marcos Lerma Escobar (Zaragoza, Spain) and tight defensive sequences near the end of regulation, Vitor Gomes provided the lone scoring opportunity for University of Dist. Columbia. The senior's goal in the 98th minute helped the UDC Firebirds soar to a 1-0 overtime win over the Wildcats at UDC Field in Washington, D.C.
With the loss, Daemen men's soccer drops to 2-4-0 overall and 1-1-0 in East Coast Conference play. With the victory, UDC improves to 3-4-0 overall and 2-0-0 in ECC play.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The teams played to a draw in the opening 45 minutes. UDC outshot Daemen, 6-2, in the first half and made four shot attempts on net, all saved by Daemen's Lerma Escobar.
- The Firebirds continued to dominate in the second half, and outshot Daemen again, 11-2. An interesting sequence happened as regulation time was winding down. Following a corner kick by Pierre La Noire in the 87th minute, teammate Joseluiz Avalos received a yellow card and then a red card in the 88th minute.
- Daemen sophomore defender Alexander Khademi (Stockholm, Sweden) received a yellow card in the 96th minute.
- Moments later, senior forward Vitor Gomes scored his first goal of the season off an assist from sophomore defender Eduardo Bugay to give UDC the overtime victory. This goal came at the 97:43 mark, roughly two minutes before the period would have expired.
- Overall, UDC outshot Daemen in the contest, 18-4, and recorded nine shots on goal. Additionally, the Firebirds out-edged the Wildcats in corner kicks, 5-0.
- Daemen finished the contest without recording a shot on net and just four shots overall. Chris Cox (Buffalo, N.Y.), Anthony Cupello (Rochester, N.Y.), Michel Holscher (Hamminkeln, Germany) and Vincent Ranieri (Spencerport, N.Y.) recorded one shot apiece.
- Lerma Escobar was in net for a sixth consecutive start for the Wildcats and recorded eight saves in what was a tremendous performance. Today also marked the ninth start of his Daemen career.
GAME NOTES
- With the loss, Daemen is now 5-4 in their last nine contests dating back to their three-game winning streak to conclude their COVID-19 abbreviated slate in spring 2021. This is also the first time Daemen has lost consecutive contests since their defeats against Gannon (2-1) on March 21, 2021 and Roberts Wesleyan (4-2) on March 27, 2021.
- This was Daemen's first overtime finish as a program since their 2-1 loss versus Walsh on Sept. 7, 2019, at Karrer Field. Daemen is still searching for their first overtime victory in program history since a 3-2 win over Queens College on Oct. 18, 2017. This was one of three contests for Daemen that finished in extra periods in 2017. The Wildcats also defeated Roberts Wesleyan, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 4, 2017 and experienced a double-overtime loss to Bridgeport, 4-3, on Oct. 14, 2017.
- Since scoring in the 80th minute against Roberts Wesleyan on March 27, 2021, Daemen has now outscored their opponents, 15-11.
- Today was the eighth all-time meeting between Daemen and UDC. The Firebirds lead the all-time series, 7-0-1.
- Today marked the sixth of a traditional 16-game schedule which runs through November 6.
ON THE HORIZON
Daemen continues their 2021 campaign when they host their long-time rival, the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks, in an East Coast Conference matchup on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 3:30 PM at Karrer Field.
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
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